Germany round-up: Leverkusen preserve top-flight status

Bayer 04 Leverkusen preserved their place in the 1. Bundesliga with a 1-0 victory away to already-relegated 1. FC Nürnberg on the final day of the league season.

Crucial goal
Turkish international midfield player Yildiray Bastürk scored what proved to be the only goal of the game nine minutes before half-time to guarantee that last season's runners-up would survive in the top flight.

Arminia relegated
Leverkusen's victory meant that DSC Arminia Bielefeld, who were defeated 1-0 at home against Hannover 96 with Conor Casey scoring the only goal of the game five minutes from time, joined Nürnberg and FC Energie Cottbus, who drew 1-1 at BV Borussia Dortmund. Tomáš Rosický put the home side in the lead midway through the first half, but a Timo Rost equaliser was not enough to prevent Energie finishing bottom of the table.

Bayern beaten
At the top of the table, a Niels Oude-Kamphuis strike seven minutes before half-time gave FC Schalke a 1-0 win at home to champions FC Bayern München. Meanwhile, VfB Stuttgart claimed second position and a place in next season's UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 win at home to VfL Wolfsburg. First-half strikes from Kevin Kuranyi and a Krassimir Balakov penalty, in his final game before retirement, sealed the win.

Dortmund finish third
Defending champions Dortmund finished third and will play in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, while Hamburger SV claimed fourth place with a 2-0 win against FC Hansa Rostock, who had Godfried Aduobe dismissed after 37 minutes. Rodolfo Cardoso opened the scoring a minute into stoppage time at the end of the first half, and Bernardo Romeo completed the scoring eight minutes after the interval.

Hertha into Europe
Hertha BSC Berlin finished fifth and will also play in the UEFA Cup next season having secured another 2-0 home win, against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, with Nando Rafael scoring at the end of each half.

Werder blow
SV Werder Bremen's hopes of claiming a European place were ended by a 4-1 defeat at VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach. The away side had Frank Verlaat sent off in added time at the end of the first period, and Peer Kluge opened the scoring a minute past the hour before two Morten Skoubo goals put Mönchengladbach in complete command. An 84th-minute own goal from Bernd Korzynietz made the score 3-1, but Mikael Forrsell completed the win in added time.

Away success
Goals from Paul Freier, Vahid Hashemian, Thomas Christiansen and Reis Thomas Reis enabled VfL Bochum 1848 to secure a 4-2 win at TSV 1860 München, for whom Martin Stranzl and Martin Max were on target.